Hateful letter stirs local support for an Autistic Boy

[Tonichelle]

Does either city have enough money to enforce those laws by a large police presence? Laws don't enforce themselves.

soooooooooooo a police state where they go into the homes once a month and rip up everything to see if guns are in the home? how do they enforce it without getting rid of even more constitutional rights?

 

[Olympia]

Toni, that's an unfair way to make an argument sound unreasonable. You know that's not what I mean. I was referring to urban neighborhoods where the kids rule the streets and there's no money to hire more cops to patrol. Believe, me, the cops in a place like Camden, New Jersey, don't have time to go into homes once a month or once every ten years. People are on their own.

 

[dorispulaski]

But how you police things is an open question. New York's Stop & Frisk Law was struck down by a judge for racial profiling, for example.

 

[Olympia]

But how you police things is an open question. New York's Stop & Frisk Law was struck down by a judge for racial profiling, for example.

This is absolutely true. The cops can't be given carte blanche. As always, one must keep an eye open to make sure no one oversteps.

Toni, I didn't mean to sound short with you, by the way. Sorry if I seemed snappish.

 

[Tonichelle]

Toni, that's an unfair way to make an argument sound unreasonable. You know that's not what I mean. I was referring to urban neighborhoods where the kids rule the streets and there's no money to hire more cops to patrol. Believe, me, the cops in a place like Camden, New Jersey, don't have time to go into homes once a month or once every ten years. People are on their own.

I'm not making an over generalization - I simply don't see any other way to keep guns off the streets than by taking rights away from everyone. Patrolling the streets won't solve or even stop the problem. The people that are using these guns to do bad things don't really care about laws. It's like the discussion on Doris' thread about evil walking. These people know how to subvert them.

 

[Olympia]

I'm not making an over generalization - I simply don't see any other way to keep guns off the streets than by taking rights away from everyone. Patrolling the streets won't solve or even stop the problem. The people that are using these guns to do bad things don't really care about laws. It's like the discussion on Doris' thread about evil walking. These people know how to subvert them.

You know that I hope you're wrong, Toni.

The ironic thing is that inner city neighborhoods are among the most heavily armed communities in the country. It's like Dodge City. I'm sure some of the guns are legally owned, too. Many shopkeepers and whatnot often own guns, I think. And then of course there are all the gang members. It doesn't seem to give them a lot of protection.

 

[Tonichelle]

You know that I hope you're wrong, Toni.

The ironic thing is that inner city neighborhoods are among the most heavily armed communities in the country. It's like Dodge City. I'm sure some of the guns are legally owned, too. Many shopkeepers and whatnot often own guns, I think. And then of course there are all the gang members. It doesn't seem to give them a lot of protection.

Shopkeepers should be allowed to defend themselves, people should be allowed to legally own firearms without being put on a "watch" list because they own more than one, or whenever they buy a box or two of cartridges.

Gang violence is not going to go away even if guns were suddenly all destroyed and no one knew how to manufacture them. Those that want to kill will find a way. And I don't want to live in a time and place where they only people armed are government approved folk. It doesn't work out for the citizens when you can't defend yourself from the powers that be when they overstep. And, yes, I do believe the USA could fall victim to that.